PSA Airlines Pilot Requirements 2026: Hours, License and Hiring Process

PSA Airlines, one of American Airlines Group’s wholly owned regional airlines, flies Bombardier CRJ700s and CRJ900s as American Eagle and hires First Officers without a type rating. Its pilot pages, as search results showed them on 24 October 2026, ask First Officers for the flight hours and the qualifications of the ATP or the restricted ATP (R-ATP) and an FAA First Class medical, with no hour figure of PSA’s own, and advertise a guaranteed flow to American; job-board copies of its postings add an FCC Restricted Radio Operator’s Permit and a valid passport, and a PSA newsroom article gives 2026 First Officer pay from USD 102 an hour with a 75-hour monthly guarantee. At the last check, on 24 October 2026, the pages invited First Officer applications, but we found no dated posting, and InsideFlyer reported that PSA had told its cadets in late July 2026 that they must now pay for the ATP-CTP course it used to fund. PSA’s About page, as search results showed it, lists its crew bases as Charlotte, Dallas–Fort Worth, Dayton, Philadelphia and Washington National.

Is PSA Airlines hiring pilots now?

Recruiting at the last check on 24 October 2026 — First Officer seat: Recruiting; Captain seat: Unconfirmed. CRJ700 and CRJ900 First Officers at ATP or restricted-ATP minimums, no type rating; guaranteed flow to American; 2026 First Officer pay from $102 an hour; cadets’ ATP-CTP funding reported ended in July 2026

Requirements, as published

Reading the requirements line by line

PSA’s own pages, as search results showed them on 24 October 2026, give the requirements in outline; the details below come from job-board copies of its postings, labeled as such, and the FAA rules cited were read in the regulations themselves.

• The FAA’s hours, not a figure of PSA’s own. PSA’s careers page asks for the necessary flight hours and the ATP or restricted ATP qualifications, and the job-board copies of its CRJ First Officer posting say you must meet the hours and qualifications of the ATP or of the restricted ATP. Those are the FAA’s: for the ATP, 1,500 hours, including 500 cross-country, 100 at night, 75 of instrument time and 250 in an airplane as pilot in command, or as second in command performing the duties of pilot in command under supervision (14 CFR 61.159); for the restricted ATP, 750 hours for a US military pilot, 1,000 with a bachelor’s degree with an aviation major and 60 aviation credit hours, or 1,250 with an associate’s degree with an aviation major or a bachelor’s with 30 to 59 credit hours, each from an institution the FAA has authorized, with 200 hours of cross-country time (14 CFR 61.160). A restricted ATP carries a limitation that the FAA lifts once you meet the full ATP’s experience and age (14 CFR 61.160(g)).
• 25 hours of multi-engine time, in an airplane. An undated non-rated First Officer posting, as job boards copied it, asks for 25 hours of multi-engine time in an actual aircraft and says flight simulator time does not count, citing FAR 61.159. The rule asks for 50 hours in the class of airplane, of which up to 25 may be full flight simulator training in an approved Part 121, 135, 141 or 142 course (14 CFR 61.159(a)(3)), so the 25 hours in the airplane are the part a simulator cannot replace.
• No type rating, and when you need one. The job-board copies say no type rating is required and training is provided. Part 121 lets no pilot serve as second in command without an ATP and the type rating for the aircraft (14 CFR 121.436(b)), and the ATP can be issued together with a multi-engine type rating (14 CFR 61.153), so you hold both by the end of PSA’s training, before you fly the line.
• The age. We saw no age in PSA’s own requirements; the FAA issues a restricted ATP from 21 and a full ATP from 23 (14 CFR 61.153(a)).
• The papers. An FAA First Class medical, named on PSA’s careers page; an FCC Restricted Radio Operator’s Permit; a valid passport, or the ability to obtain one, as the copies variously put it; a high school diploma or equivalent; and the fingerprint-based criminal history records check of 49 CFR 1542.209 and a pre-employment drug screen, which the copies say every PSA employee must pass. We saw no work-authorization or visa sponsorship wording on PSA’s pages, so ask PSA before you apply from outside the US.
• Experienced First Officers. PSA’s Experienced First Officer page, undated, as search results showed it, says pilots begin receiving Captain pay at 750 hours and receive credit toward pay, vacation and retirement benefits. Its pay figures, First Officers from USD 96 an hour and Captains from USD 153.75, are lower than those of PSA’s 2026 newsroom article and careers page, so the page appears to predate them; the bonus offers we found for experienced pilots, of 2023 and 2024, have passed their deadlines.

Entry routes

• Direct entry First Officer — at the ATP or restricted-ATP minimums, no type rating
• Experienced First Officer — credit toward pay, vacation and retirement benefits, and the left-seat pay rate from 750 hours (PSA’s page, undated)
• PSA Cadet Program — partner colleges, universities and flight schools (13 at launch); PSA’s pages say it pays the ATP-CTP at the ATP or R-ATP minimums, but InsideFlyer reported that PSA told its cadets in late July 2026 that they must now pay it, and Destination.com reported the same change
• Guaranteed flow to American Airlines
• Direct Entry Captain — advertised on an undated PSA page, as search results showed it (bonuses up to $175,000); no Captain posting found

The cadet program, the flow to American and the pay

PSA’s pages, as search results showed them on 24 October 2026, describe the routes around the First Officer seat; the pages themselves are undated, and the dated items below say when they were published.

• PSA Cadet Program. PSA’s newsroom says it launched the program with 13 partner colleges, universities and flight schools, and a later article says the list continues to grow. Job-board copies of the cadet posting ask for at least a private pilot certificate, current flight training or active instructing as a flight instructor, an FAA First Class medical, a valid passport and an FCC Restricted Radio Operator’s Permit, and set hour limits of 700 for cadets heading for the restricted ATP and 1,000 or 1,200, depending on the copy, for cadets heading for the ATP; whether the limits cap your total time or the hours you still have to fly is not clear in what we read, so ask PSA. A cadet interview comes before acceptance (Ohio State University’s page on its PSA partnership). PSA’s cadet launch article, the job-board copies of its cadet posting and Ohio State’s page say that once a cadet reaches the ATP or restricted-ATP minimums, PSA pays the ATP-CTP course, valued at USD 5,000 on Ohio State’s page, with hotel and ground transportation, and places the cadet in the next available new-hire class with no further interview. That funding may have ended: InsideFlyer reported that PSA had told its cadets in late July 2026 that they must now pay for the course themselves, and Destination.com reported that PSA would discontinue its financial support for the course; we found no statement from PSA on it.
• The flow to American. PSA’s careers page calls it a guaranteed direct flow to American Airlines. We could not see its terms on PSA’s pages: a 2018 PSA release put the move at six to seven years, and Ohio State University’s page on its PSA partnership says that, because of the flow agreement, the cadet interview could be the only interview of a pilot’s career.
• The pay. PSA’s newsroom article on First Officer pay says that as of 2026 First Officers begin at USD 102 an hour with a guarantee of 75 flight hours a month, rising by yearly steps to USD 120.75 from the fourth year, and PSA’s careers page gives Captain pay from USD 161.25 an hour. The Pilot Retention Bonus Program of up to USD 150,000, paid at the upgrade to Captain and at the flow to American, was announced in August 2021, and we could not confirm that it still runs.
• Direct Entry Captains. PSA has a Direct Entry Captain page, listed in the Pilots menu of its careers portal; as search results showed it, the page advertises bonuses of up to USD 175,000 and Captain wages of USD 150 to 217.50 an hour. It is undated, its wage range starts below the USD 161.25 of PSA’s careers page, and the bonus terms we found in search results were time-limited offers of 2024 for pilots with at least 950 hours of qualifying time, so ask PSA whether the route is open. Under Part 121, a Captain needs 1,000 hours of air carrier experience, such as time as second in command in Part 121 operations (14 CFR 121.436(a)(3)).

PSA beside the four largest US passenger airlines on our jobs board, as recorded at each airline’s last check:

Each of the four majors starts at 1,500 hours or more, and American’s First Officer posting, as a job board relays it, asks for the unrestricted ATP, so the restricted ATP’s 750 to 1,250 hours open a seat at a regional airline such as PSA; from there, the flow, not a second application, is PSA’s way to American.

Selection process

1. Online application on PSA’s careers site (its postings are on PSA’s iCIMS portal)
2. Direct-entry First Officers: interview stages not published by PSA
3. Cadets: one interview before acceptance, in three parts in job-board copies of the cadet posting (an HR interview, a technical evaluation and an instructor check-in); Ohio State University’s partner page says that, with the flow agreement, it could be the only interview of a pilot’s career

Bases and fleet

Bases: Charlotte (CLT), Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW), Dayton (DAY), Philadelphia (PHL) and Washington National (DCA): PSA’s About and Who We Are pages, undated, as search results showed them on 24 October 2026; ALPA’s PSA page lists the same five

Fleet: Bombardier CRJ700 and CRJ900, flown as American Eagle; PSA announced in October 2024 that it would add 14 CRJ900 NextGen aircraft, in phases (PSA newsroom, as search results showed it). We found no dated 2026 fleet count from PSA

How to prepare

PSA flies only the CRJ700 and the CRJ900, and v1prep has no CRJ bank, so the type itself is taught in PSA’s new-hire training; your preparation is the knowledge underneath it, with the ATPL theory banks below for performance, meteorology and systems. If you have not yet passed the ATP written, the ATP bank for the FAA’s ATM knowledge test comes first, with its Part 121, transport performance and turbine-systems questions. The test needs the ATP-CTP course before it (14 CFR 61.153), and if you are a PSA cadet, ask PSA who pays for the course: PSA’s own cadet material says PSA does, once you reach the minimums, but InsideFlyer reported that PSA had told its cadets in late July 2026 that they must now pay it themselves, and Destination.com reported the same change. For the instrument side of a technical interview, work the FAA instrument banks, with their IFR regulations, charts, approaches and weather, and prepare the behavioral questions with the US airline interview set, whose hiring-process questions cover the FAA’s Pilot Records Database, and the CRM interview set. PSA does not publish its interview stages for direct-entry First Officers; job-board copies of its cadet posting describe the cadet interview in three parts, an HR interview, a technical evaluation and an instructor check-in. Do the paperwork first: total your logbook against the ATP or R-ATP minimums, with the multi-engine time flown in an airplane on its own line, since an undated PSA posting asks for 25 hours of it and does not count simulator time; have the proof of a restricted-ATP route ready if you count on one, your degree’s aviation credits or your military service; and keep your First Class medical, your FCC permit and your passport valid.

PSA has no interview guide on v1prep yet, so for the interview read the complete airline pilot interview guide and the Library’s competency-based pilot interviews and technical questions in airline pilot interviews. If you are counting on the lower minimums, the restricted ATP explained sets out who qualifies at 750, 1,000 or 1,250 hours, and our FAA ATP written test guide covers the ATP-CTP and the test that follows it. The Library’s FAA Part 121 air carrier operations explains the rules a regional First Officer flies under, and airline pilot ranks, seniority and scheduling how seniority works. To see where the flow leads, read American Airlines pilot requirements and our American Airlines pilot interview guide; another of American’s wholly owned regionals is on Envoy Air pilot requirements. Check PSA’s entry on the jobs board for the latest status.

What we could not confirm

• Researched on 24 October 2026 from search-engine results of the airline’s own careers pages, job postings and industry job boards — not from a direct read of the portal. Confirm the vacancy is still open before you apply.
• Whether PSA is running First Officer new-hire classes now: we found no dated posting, and an undated pilot-forum post reported First Officer classes suspended
• Who pays the cadets’ ATP-CTP: PSA’s pages say PSA does, at the minimums; InsideFlyer reported that PSA told its cadets in late July 2026 that they must now pay it, and Destination.com reported the same change
• The cadet posting’s hour limits (700 h for the R-ATP; 1,000 or 1,200 h, depending on the copy, for the ATP): whether they cap total time or the hours still to go
• Whether the Pilot Retention Bonus Program of up to $150,000, announced in August 2021, still runs; we found no current sign-on bonus
• Whether the Direct Entry Captain route is open: the page is undated, its Captain wage range starts below the $161.25 of PSA’s careers page, and the bonus terms we found were time-limited offers of 2024
• The terms of the flow to American (timing, any interview): PSA publishes none that we could see; a 2018 PSA release put it at six to seven years
• PSA’s 2026 fleet count and its CRJ700–CRJ900 split

These points are not published clearly by the airline. Treat them as leads, not facts, and confirm them on the careers page: careers page.

Common questions

Is PSA Airlines hiring pilots? PSA’s pilot careers pages, as search results showed them on 24 October 2026, invited First Officer applications, and a PSA newsroom article gave 2026 First Officer pay from USD 102 an hour with a 75-hour monthly guarantee. The pages are undated and we found no dated First Officer posting, so confirm the vacancy on PSA’s careers site before you apply.

How many hours do you need to fly for PSA Airlines? PSA publishes no figure of its own: its careers page asks for the flight hours and the qualifications of the ATP or the restricted ATP. Those are the FAA’s: 1,500 hours for the ATP, or for the restricted ATP 750 hours for a US military pilot, 1,000 with an approved bachelor’s degree with an aviation major and 60 aviation credit hours, or 1,250 with an approved associate’s degree with an aviation major or a bachelor’s with 30 to 59 credit hours (14 CFR 61.160). An undated PSA posting, as job boards copied it, also asks for 25 hours of multi-engine time in an actual aircraft.

Do you need a CRJ type rating to fly for PSA? No. Job-board copies of PSA’s CRJ First Officer posting say no type rating is required and training is provided. Part 121 requires a First Officer to hold an ATP and the type rating for the aircraft before flying the line (14 CFR 121.436), so both come out of PSA’s new-hire training.

Does PSA pay for the ATP-CTP? PSA’s own cadet material and the job-board copies of its cadet posting say PSA pays the ATP-CTP course once a cadet reaches the ATP or restricted-ATP minimums, with hotel and ground transportation. InsideFlyer reported that PSA had told its cadets in late July 2026 that they must now pay for the course themselves, Destination.com reported the same change, and we found no statement from PSA on it, so ask PSA which terms apply to you.

How does the PSA flow to American work? PSA’s careers page calls it a guaranteed direct flow to American Airlines, but we could not see its terms, such as the timing or any interview, on PSA’s pages; a 2018 PSA release put the move at six to seven years. The Pilot Retention Bonus of up to USD 150,000, paid at the upgrade to Captain and at the flow, was announced in August 2021, and we could not confirm that it still runs.